Daily Archives: January 26, 2021

Awards, News

StormWall Co-Founder in the Running for Prestigious Business Award

Information Sustainability business co-founder has been included in the shortlist of finalists for the prestigious MBA Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 award.

Ramil Khantimirov, the co-founder of StormWall has presented his Information Sustainability project for the MBA Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 award and was included in the shortlist of finalists. StormWall provides cybersecurity-as-a-service and introduces a concept of Information Sustainability: an idea that present-day society is dependent on the uninterrupted availability of information.

The Internet became an integral part of our lives. Our access to bank accounts, navigation systems, traffic control systems, and more all rely on the global web. But the luxury of uninterrupted access that we’re accustomed to is at risk. 

Today, DDoS attacks are the main stopping factor for the global development of the Internet infrastructure. 4.83 million DDoS attacks took place in the first half of 2020 alone, and their duration and strength keep on growing. Ramil co-founded StormWall to ensure the sustainability of the modern information-driven society by developing innovative DDoS protection solutions. StormWall is also actively involved in providing education about the importance of Information Sustainability and implementing grants for DDoS protection to ISPs in undeveloped African countries.

Established in 1967, AMBA accredits MBA, DBA, and Master’s degree programs for the top 2% of business schools in over 75 countries. The MBA Entrepreneur of the Year award is among the most notable business awards in the industry,initiated to promote the importance of entrepreneurship in the global market. Every year, AMBA selects the most innovative and impactful companies from over 260 leading Business Schools worldwide to compete for the award.

“I feel extremely privileged to be selected for such an esteemed award. Knowing that the judges evaluated my Information Sustainability project so highly is very encouraging. It goes a long way to show that our mission is recognized and we’re on the right track.” says Ramil.

The other finalists are:

  • Daniel Burns, TUM School of Management, Technische Universität München (Germany) for Testifi;
  • Daniel George, Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield University (UK) for StepEx;
  • Francisco Santolo, Universidad del CEMA (Argentina) for Scalabl;
  • Oluwatobi Ajayi, Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University (Nigeria) for Nord Automobiles;
  • Sarah Martin, Kent Business School, University of Kent (UK), for Nourish Zero Waste.

AMBA will announce the winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year award on January 29, 2021.

 

News

Post-purchase issues contribute to over half of retailers’ one-star Trustpilot reviews

Problems with receiving and returning products are having a major impact on customer perceptions of UK retailers, according to a new report from post-purchase technology platform HelloDone.

The research, which analysed 3,000 one-star Trustpilot reviews across 150 major UK retailers, showed that more than half (55%) of customer complaints were attributed to issues with the post-purchase experience, that is from the moment a customer has ‘clicked’ the buy button through to the item arriving at their front door.
Nearly 40% of one-star reviews were attributed to issues with delivery, while a further 15% mentioned the returns process as a contributing factor to a negative experience with a retailer. The research also found that:
– Orders not arriving was the most commonly cited problem with deliveries, accounting for nearly half (48%) of all reviews that mentioned delivery.
– Late delivery (17%) was the second most common complaint.
– Post-purchase problems were most common amongst retailers in the fashion (68%), sports & leisure (51%), and specialist (49%) categories.
– Fashion (28%) and sports & leisure (17%) also had the most mentions of returns in their reviews.
– Dissatisfaction with customer service response times appeared in more than 1 in 4 reviews (27%).
– This was most prevalent in the electricals category, appearing in half of reviews (51%).
HelloDone CEO Ed Hodges said: “Our research shows that some of the main sources of frustration for shoppers are the parts of the customer experience that retailers currently have the least control over. Each one-star review represents a customer who may now be lost forever. But with investment in the right processes and technology, we see a huge opportunity for retailers to turn the post-purchase experience into a source of commercial and competitive advantage.

“In an ideal world, every delivery would arrive in mint condition, to the right location and at the precise time expected. But logistics is an extremely complex business and sometimes things will go wrong. We know from our work with our customers that effective, proactive communication through the digital channels they use most has a crucial role to play in managing expectations and leaving consumers with a good impression when there are issues to resolve.”

3 steps to better post-purchase communication:
1) Don’t just leave it to your logistics partners. Your customer should continue to receive updates from you directly after they receive their order confirmation rather than rely on the SMS or web portal of the carrier. This is even more important in the current circumstances, with many people receiving multiple orders on the same day.
2) Be proactive. A delivery time is a promise – customers will be more forgiving if you alert them to any changes to their order or arrival time so there are no unwelcome surprises and allow them to re-arrange timings to make their lives easier.
3) Use automation to support post-purchase problem solving. Many common issues, particularly around WISMOs (where is my order?), can be resolved without the need for customer service centers and manual input. Automating more customer conversations frees up customer service teams to focus on the most complex and sensitive tickets.
Full ranking of retail categories by prevalence of post-purchase mentions (delivery and returns) in Trustpilot reviews:
Rank Category Post-purchase total
1 Fashion 68%
2 Sports & leisure 51%
3 Specialist 49%
4 Electricals 46%
~5 Home & DIY 45%
~5 Health & beauty 45%
7 Entertainment 43%
8 General merchandise 37%

To download the full research report, visit hellodone.ai/trustpilot-report.

 

HR News, News

Should 2021 be the death of presenteeism: More than half of Brits admit going to work despite feeling ill

More than half of British people have admitted to feeling obliged to go to work when sick. Should 2021 finally be the end of the ‘work til you drop’ culture?

Bolton digital marketing agency, The Audit Lab, asked the British public if they had ever felt too ill to work but gone in anyway, and an overwhelming 56% of survey respondents admitted to going into work unwell.

The study found a huge 60% of women said they had soldiered through the working day even when they felt ill. Do men merely have more confidence to make that morning phone call to HR? Perhaps women feel more pressured to prove themselves in their scaling of the career ladder, that they don’t want anything to hinder their progression.

Is the pressure of the hustle getting to us this much? It’s time to realise that we don’t need to burn ourselves out in order to be considered as having ‘succeeded’ through this pandemic. And it’s definitely time to stop saying we’re okay when we aren’t.

Claire Crompton, co-founder and director of The Audit Lab believes the stigma needs end from the top down, especially in the aftermath of COVID:

“I can certainly remember the anxiety over THAT morning phone call when I was first starting out in the working world. Even when I was really obviously ill, I felt like I wouldn’t be believed. But now I’m on the other side of that phone, I try really hard to not make it anxiety-inducing. Companies and loyal staff are built on trust; if you don’t trust your own staff to manage their own health and workload, how can you expect them to want to stay with you in the long-run?

“And especially now, given the global pandemic, you’d think employers would be a lot more understanding about needing to call in sick. It’s no longer ‘just a cold’, and people shouldn’t be scared to request a day off when there’s a lot more at risk now.”

To find out more about the impact on mental health, we put the question to the people, to ask what was so off-putting about the morning phone call to request a sick day.

Tasmin Lofthouse, freelance digital market and blogger at Grandiose Days, says the idea of making that phone call to work gave her serious anxiety:

“I used to dread phoning in sick whenever I had a migraine out of fear that I wouldn’t be believed. I would always worry that my Direct Line Manager would think I was lying about my migraine – even though, I’m sure that would never have been the case! I think this fear of calling in sick, for me, stems from worries that people think migraines are “just a headache”. I’d be so anxious about phoning in sick that on some occasions, I’d force myself to go into work and make the hour-long motorway journey even when experiencing aura symptoms and struggling to see. Something that I now realise is both dangerous and stupid!”

Wellness blogger, writer and illustrator, Chloe Quinn from Nyxie’s Nook, says her anxiety about calling in sick stems from being a kid:

“I’ve always had anxiety about calling in sick to work. As a kid we rarely got sick days, we were sent to school, and then if we were sick enough usually sent home. This extended into my work life. I remember going to work with mumps as a teenager, working through horrible menstrual cramps, and going into work with a terrible flu (on three separate occasions, in three separate work places). I was more anxious about calling in sick than I was about going to work sick. For years I believed that my job was more important and that I would be commended for coming in while clearly ill/in pain.

“The phone call was one thing, but I also worried about what others would be thinking. Are they thinking I’m faking? I’m useless? My mum used to get angry at us sitting on our phone or laptop while home sick, stating that if anyone saw us on Facebook they would think ‘there is nothing wrong with them, why are they off’. I’ve completely ghosted all social media when sick just to ‘prove’ it.”

Joe Fisher, SEO freelancer at OptiClick said:

“I’d say the main reason that calling in sick makes me anxious is the next day – the varying reactions from colleagues – I never know what to expect. People you get along with tend to have banter with you and joke about you skiving off, whereas others seem to shoot you looks of disappointment like a begrudged parent.

“I think there is such a stigma around being sick because of traditional values that suggest millennials are lazy, whereas I just think the way we work is changing. Remote working is becoming more prevalent, which is a good thing in my eyes.”

Education, Education News, News

£16 million Histon and Impington Park Primary School build opens its doors following R G Carter handover

Cambridge Primary Education Trust’s £16 million primary school build in Histon and Impington has opened its doors to children for the first time.

Following handover from contractor and designers R G Carter in December, Histon and Impington Infant School relocated from its site in New School Road to the Buxhall Farm site off Glebe Way just before the Christmas holidays, and ahead of the 6th January return date.

Originally, it was planned that 310 Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils at Histon and Impington Infant School would move over to the Buxhall Farm site – but a new national lock down announced on the evening of 4th January meant that the Trust has had to limit this to around 95 children initially.

From September, Histon and Impington Infant School will convert to a primary school and serve up to 420 children aged 4-11 under the new name of Histon and Impington Park Primary. Meanwhile, Histon and Impington Junior School, which has already expanded on its current site in readiness to extend its intake to ages 4-11, when it too becomes a full 420-pupil primary school, will be called Histon and Impington Brook Primary from the 2020-21 school year.

“It isn’t quite the celebratory opening we were hoping for, but we are absolutely delighted to be in the new school,” said the Trust’s CEO/Executive Principal Lesley Birch. “Colleagues have moved mountains before and during the Christmas holidays to ensure the building was ready for the returning children. In the immediate term, we are thrilled to be able to support those children who are able to come into school. For those we are unable to physically see due to the new restrictions we are offering remote learning which enables us to offer a high standard of learning tasks to all our children.

“Whilst everyone’s focus, and rightly so, is on the ‘here and now’, we should not lose sight of how significant this move is to give the local Histon and Impington community the enlarged high-quality primary provision it so desperately needs given the growth of our community. Our mission is to provide an outstanding education for all our pupils by offering a broad and balanced curriculum whilst working closely with the local community. Having two all-through primary schools in Histon and Impington, both with inspiring learning environments, will help to deliver that commitment as we move forward.”

Histon and Impington Infant School Headteacher Jonathan Newman added: “We are all incredibly excited about the new journey we are taking. It would have been wonderful to have had the opportunity to welcome everyone into the school and to start planning an official opening, but we will be doing that as soon as it is appropriate and possible to do so. Clearly this was not the start to the New Year at a new school that any of us wanted but we are looking forward to making new memories here. At the same time we bid a fond farewell to the Infant School site which housed many of our children’s parents, grandparents, great grandparents and possibly even great, great grandparents.”

The new school comprises 14 classrooms, a main and small hall, library, staff and breakout areas, and a food technology area and kitchen. As part of the construction, highway upgrade works were undertaken along with the creation of a new footpath and alterations to the nearby junction and a toucan crossing for students’ safety. The construction team from R G Carter will be back on site in the spring to finalise the landscaping and seeding of the new nature garden at the rear of the school, which also provides play areas and a mini wooden amphitheatre. The school also has an adjoining space which will be used for Breakfast and After-School Clubs and wraparound care facilities with the potential to provide pre-school provision for up to 52 children.

Will Robinson, Project Manager for R G Carter, explained: “It has been a pleasure to work on another exciting project with Cambridgeshire County Council to deliver this new and much-needed primary school in the local area and we look forward to the students benefiting from this amazing facility.”

Cybersecurity, Data, News, Tech Thought Leadership

Adam Strange: 2021 Predictions for Data Classification

In the digitally accelerated COVID-19 environment of 2021 what are the top data security trends that organisations are facing? Here is HelpSystems Data Classification Specialist, Adam Strange’s take on the outlook and trends for 2021.

Ongoing growth in remote working will create data security threats 

  • The far-reaching impact of COVID-19 includes the intensified threat of malicious cyberattacks as well as an escalating number of damaging data breaches across almost every sector of business. The rapid shift to remote working during the pandemic left many employers exposed to hackers and highlighted multiple examples of serious network and data vulnerabilities.
  • For example, in a recent article, Infosecurity Magazine quotesresearch finding that attacks on the biotech and pharmaceutical industry alone rose by 50% in 2020 compared to 2019. And in the defence sector, The Pentagon is seeing a huge rise in cyber attacks through the pandemic, where unprecedented numbers of employees are forced to communicate through their own devices.
  • As more companies move to facilitate a semi-permanent remote workforce, data security ecosystems will evolve to become more complex and advanced data management and classification solutions will be a critical technology investment.
  • ‘Insider threat’ will be categorised as the most prominent tier 1 data security risk in 2021, necessitating stricter corporate guidelines and protocols in data classification, as well as comprehensive employee education programmes around data security.
  • HelpSystems’ recent research interviewed 250 CISOs and CIOs in financial institutions about the cybersecurity challenges they face and found that insider threat – whether intentional or accidental – was cited by more than a third (35%) of survey respondents as one of the threats with the potential to cause the most damage in the next 12 months.
  • Further, the latest Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) report confirmed that misdirected email remains one of the UK’s most prominent causes of security incidents, demonstrating the need for all organisations to control the dissemination of their classified data.
  • HelpSystems’ technologies in data security and classification are enabling businesses to regain control of sensitive data, identify sensitive data by scanning and analysing data at rest and classify and protect personal data by detecting PII at creation.

 

A security culture needs to be embedded into organisations, especially as insider breach risk continues to grow.

  • In 2021 data governance will take centre stage in data security and privacy strategies. Companies will create Centres of Excellence (COE) to embed a solid data security culture across teams and corporate divisions and to formalise in-house data management processes, rolling out divisional best practice and placing data classification at the foundation of their data security strategy.
  • Employees play a vital role in ensuring the organisation maintains a strong data privacy posture. For this to be effective, organisations need to ensure that they provide regular security awareness training to protect sensitive information. In terms of how they go about doing this, they must invest in user training and education programmes.
  • The security culture of the firm must be inclusive towards all employees, making sure they are continually trained so that their approach to security becomes part of their everyday working practice, irrespective of their location, and security becomes embedded into all their actions and the ethos of the business.
  • Data classification solutions will allow businesses to protect data by putting appropriate security labels in place. HelpSystems data classification uses both visual and metadata labels to classify both emails and documents according to their sensitivity. Once labelled, data is controlled to ensure that emails, documents and files are only sent to those that should be receiving them, protecting sensitive information from accidental loss, through misdirected emails and the inadvertent sharing of restricted documents and files.

 

Supply chain ecosystem risk will get bigger

  • Accenture quote that 94% of Fortune 100 companies experienced supply chain disruptions from COVID-19, and that as much as 40% of cyber threats are now  occurring indirectly through the supply chain.
  • 2020 has been the year where businesses realised more than ever that data security across the supply chain was only as strong as its weakest link, where exposing a business’s network and sensitive data to its suppliers had the potential to carry significant additional risk.
  • HelpSystems’ recent report interviewed 250 CISOs and CIOsfrom financial institutions about the cybersecurity challenges they face and nearly half (46%) said that cybersecurity weaknesses in the supply chain had the biggest potential to cause the most damage in the next 12 months.
  • But sharing information with suppliers is essential for the supply chain to function. Most organisations go to great lengths to secure intellectual property (IP), personally identifiable information (PII) and other sensitive data internally, yet when this information is shared across the supply chain, it doesn’t get the same robust attention.
  • The demand for greater resilience across supply chain operations in 2021 will require businesses to move quickly to overhaul existing tech investments and prioritise data governance. Organisations must ensure basic controls are implemented around their suppliers’ IT infrastructure and that they have robust security measures in place.
  • Advanced data classification capabilities will deliver assurance and control to numerous industries including finance, defence and government. HelpSystems advises organisations to ensure their suppliers have a robust approach to security and information risk with security frameworks such as ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials in place.
  • Organisations should implement a data classification scheme and embed data risk management into the procurement lifecycle processes from start to finish. By effectively embedding data risk management, categorisation and classification into procurement and vendor management processes, businesses will prevent their suppliers’ vulnerabilities becoming their own and more effectively secure data in the supply chain.

 

Data privacy regulation set to increase

  • An increased focus on data privacy and protection of personal data and the continuing shift in privacy law, as reflected in the EU’s landmark GDPR in 2018 and, this year, the US’s CCPA, and the CPRA set to take effect in 2023, has changed the data regulatory landscape. We can expect to see similar US compliance rulings come into force beyond California through 2021.
  • In addition to individual state privacy rulings, we can expect to see federal US-wide regulation come into force.
  • This new phase in privacy regulation will be complex and enforcement will demand changes in people, process and technology – proper corporate data governance programmes, employee training and solid data management systems in every organisation to counter reputational risk and hefty fines.
  • Data automation will also be a priority as companies struggle to deliver relevant data protection strategies for every level of business and its users, across all platforms and infrastructures to conform with individual state and international laws.
  • HelpSystems’ unified security, compliancy and data classification solutions simplify compliancy reportingenabling business to easily generate the documentation necessary to identify security issues, give auditors the information that they need and prove compliance.

 

Logistics Tech, News, Tech

Mark Perera: 2021 Predictions – Key Procurement and Supply Chain Trends

Mark Perera, CEO, Vizibl, considers the tech trends he expects to see in procurement and supply in 2021

Prediction/Trend 1 – The move towards Procurement with Purpose will accelerate in 2021 

For many the reality of our climate emergency has been brought into sharp focus in 2020, as a result of and even prior to the escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the worldwide financial sector understands that the investment risk of global warming is real and even before the pandemic, they had started to adjust their behaviour accordingly. This means that Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) frameworks have gone beyond a simple tick-box exercise. Investors will only increase their scrutiny of organisations’ maturity and approach towards sustainability, when analysing where the opportunities are. As a result, ESG ratings are now at the top of the sustainability agenda.

Likewise, the millennial and Gen-Z workforce is not naïve to the impact of climate change. They recognise that profits, process improvements, and product development are necessary objectives for every organisation. However, they are certain that large companies have the resources to do far more when it comes to serving a higher purpose and as a result, sustainability is high on their agenda.

The step-change that businesses must undertake to meet these sustainability demands in all aspects of their operations – including the supply chain – is now all about building purpose-led ecosystems in order to deliver on sustainability goals and Davos commitments. This means that organisations need to move beyond simply monitoring supplier compliance, to actively collaborating with suppliers on initiatives to improve environmental, social, and economic performance. They need to move towards a purpose-led procurement approach; we will see that accelerate in 2021.

Amidst a myriad of operational issues that organisations need to prioritise in 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, organisations must put ESG principles into practice when managing supply chain impact, adopting a ‘Procurement with Purpose’ approach to boost resilience, from both a profit and planetary perspective. With today’s public more socially conscious than ever, businesses must align themselves with this shift towards a sustainable supply chain or risk losing business as a result of inaction.

Prediction/Trend 2 – Continued disruption of global supply chains as a result of COVID-19

The shock of COVID-19 will continue to be felt worldwide in 2021; organisations are still recovering from the initial impact on global supply chains. The unprecedented nature of COVID-19 has forced companies, and industries, to rethink and transform their supply chain models – for good.

Historically, businesses have focused on supply chain consolidation, often resulting in suppliers being squeezed. However, the effect of these measures is that they have removed buffers and flexibility to absorb disruptions such as COVID-19. With no firm timeline on a vaccine – key to containing the virus and minimising supply chain disruption – organisations should continue to build long-term supply chain resilience into their operations.

This will be critical for long-term survival, especially as different territories will continue to adapt at different rates when moving out of the pandemic. Greater visibility into complex supply chain activity will equip organisations with the knowledge to reduce supplier exposure and risk, which will help them vary their supply chains. COVID-19 has exposed the fragility of long-distance, international supply chains. Building-in a level of resilience will see conglomerates working with a much wider range of suppliers, from global corporations to smaller, regional start-ups to ensure continuity.

To achieve this resilience, organisations must:

  • Create cross-functional and/or cross border teams to deal with supply chain shortages
  • Build additional buffers of inventory and raw materials
  • Develop expected-case and worst-case scenarios
  • Explore additional delivery routes and how they can source locally
  • Explore technologies that can help them to diversify and innovate throughout their supply chain.

Prediction/Trend 3 – The role of the Chief Procurement Officer will evolve in 2021

Having a holistic view of the supplier lifecycle, and the risks to each supplier, will be increasingly important for CPOs in 2021. The proliferation of data breaches that we’ve seen in the last 18 months – and the subsequent regulatory penalties issued – alongside the unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been a wake-up call for Boards. They are now actively invested in supplier risk, given how susceptible organisations are, and this has given the CPO heightened visibility.

While the problems facing CPOs in 2021 will not necessarily be new, Boards and management are shining the spotlight on them, to ensure any further disruption is minimised. Not being prepared for the issues that COVID-19 continues to present is no longer an acceptable position. With supply chains firmly in focus, Boards are pushing for a more proactive approach and level of insight and visibility from the CPO.

Therefore, the CEO will be asking the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and the CPO questions such as: is the supply chain prepared? During the pandemic in 2020, companies scurried to secure supply. During the recovery phase in 2021, the CPO needs to initiate measures that lead to preparedness. There will be no second chances for CPOs going forward; supply chain management will be top of their to-do-list.

Prediction/Trend 4 – Supplier diversity will be more important than ever

CPOs will be under social pressure to ensure supplier diversity: buying from firms with wider diversity and purpose that avoids conditions such as modern slavery and protects human rights. They will also be under increasing environmental pressure with global warming and demand for organisations to reduce their carbon footprint and ensure sustainable procurement. And without a doubt, there will be significant economic challenges facing the CPO including helping to deliver growth through local sourcing, supporting fair employment, avoiding any fraud and corruption, and being acutely aware of sanctions.

Prediction/Trend 5 – The importance of supplier collaboration in 2021

Going forward, organisations must be seen to be actively driving increased supplier collaboration and innovation (SC&I), utilising technology to build in resilience, whilst also unlocking greater value from new and existing partnerships. If this is not on the agenda, it’s entirely feasible that similar worldwide events to COVID-19 will cause major problems for conglomerates getting goods and products through traditional supply chain models, that do not have the desired level of flex.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started shutting down international borders as early as March 2020, organisations must apply the lessons learnt in 2021, following the below checklist to achieve true SC&I and minimise disruption:

  • Ensure alignment – Misalignment causes friction that blocks effective collaboration from happening. It is therefore important to agree to a partnership mission statement that sets the foundation for the relationship in the long-term.
  • Implement a governance structure – This is key to fostering successful collaborative relationships. This involves developing a set of cohesive policies, processes and approval levels that act as the framework to your supplier partnership. Without this, collaboration efforts quickly stall.
  • Take ownership – Good governance requires everyone involved to be accountable for their part in building a successful collaborative relationship. Failing to implement this framework could quickly plunge a partnership into confusion and stagnation.
  • Transparency and visibility – Developing value trackers for every project to determine ROI for each relationship is key. This could include cost savings from new technology and innovation, or sales generated from a new product launch.
  • Manage Innovation – It is important to build and manage an innovation pipeline of projects by priority, to forecast potential value creation from partnerships. Partners can then quickly identify blockers and any potential duplication.
  • Deploy the right supporting technology – A great strategy can quickly unravel without the right infrastructure in place. Technology is fundamental to the success of any supplier collaboration and innovation strategy.
News

Are UK Workers Neglecting a Major Workplace Need?

It has been a strange year for businesses and workplaces around the world. With the majority of us working from home for at least part of the year, workers have no doubt gained a new appreciation for a dedicated office space away from home – or, if nothing else, for the top-quality office chair as opposed to the spine-shattering kitchen chair of their makeshift home office.

Not only are we craving that distinct work-to-life separation in our lives once more, but many of us are missing our colleagues in a social way too. According to one survey, during COVID-19’s work-from-home requirement, Brits placed “work” as their second-most-missed thing – ahead of friends, shops, and even pubs. This isn’t a surprise, given Britain’s workers have previously admitted to deeming a good company culture to be their top work concern.

In fact, according to a review by Fulcare of 4,999 employee reviews across a number of businesses on Glassdoor, the top three workplace considerations mentioned in employee reviews were:
1. People (880 mentions)
2. Pay (720 mentions)
3. Culture (499 mentions)

But, perhaps shockingly given the year we’ve had, UK workers are worryingly neglecting to mention a key concern within the workplace – the very concern that saw us all working from home – in hygiene and cleanliness. In the same analysis, concerns of “mess” were only voiced 20 times; noting a workplace as being “clean” or not featured just 22 times; and issues of “hygiene” were mentioned just once across the data.

Does this mean the UK’s workplaces are so clean and tidy that workers feel comfortable? Or are we turning a blind eye to a major workplace need?

A worrying lack of concern – If workers aren’t flagging concerns of cleanliness at work, is this a point in favour of the UK’s squeaky-clean workplaces? You would expect so, especially given the numerous requests for workplaces to up their cleaning requirements to help combat COVID-19.
But in truth, workplaces can be a breeding ground for bacteria. According to one report, the average office work desk contains far more dirt than the average toilet seat – 400 times more, in fact. Furthermore – and certainly one to consider in this COVID-19 era – touch-based transmission accounts for 80% of common infections. In a world of trendy open offices, this should certainly feature in workers’ minds when they look around their workspace.

Could it be that workers are simply taking cleanliness and hygiene at face value, even with a pandemic still at the forefront of our minds? It is easy to see why. For many people, so long as something looks clean, it is clean – which might be why an otherwise-clean looking keyboard can house around 7,500 bacteria and avoid being considered for a more than monthly clean by over half of workers.

This neglectful comfort is put into practice too, with 26% of workers eating lunch at their desks one to three times per week. 11% confessed to not cleaning their desks after, and 38% admitted to only binning wrappers and such after. Without attention to thorough cleaning habits, this behaviour could become costly for workplaces and workers alike. Just a quick wipe down with spray and blue roll would see employees’ desks kept in clean and hygienic condition after a working lunch!

The cost of careless cleaning –
With so many people seemingly happy with a visually clean environment assuring them that surfaces are hygienic, why should workers rank hygiene with company culture and pay? Well, one report prior to the pandemic found that poor hygiene – and the resulting sickness it can spread through a workplace – costs UK businesses an eye-watering £1.56 billion every year.

Plus, it isn’t a case that UK workers aren’t aware of this potential pitfall. According to Elite Business Magazine, 46% of British workers suspected their unclean workplace had contributed to making them ill, and 68% placed a lack of hygiene in their workplace as a reason for their sickness. 48% suspected uncleaned desk phones as the germ-carriers of the office – rightly so, given that in another survey, only 28% of workers noted their desk telephones were cleaned at all.

Workers should be more concerned –

Of course, it goes without saying that people ought to be more worried about cleanliness and hygiene during and after the pandemic. But why else should this feature much more highly on a worker’s list of company desires?
Fidelis Group points out several benefits to a clean and tidy workplace, including a great impression for clients, increased productivity, and safeguarding employee’s health. When “people” rank so highly in employees’ reviews of their workplaces, it seems logical that protecting the people around them should factor in too. Increased productivity leads to a better display of work, providing a stepping stone to a promotion – nailing the “pay” desire too.

It’s clear that cleanliness and hygiene in the workplace can often be overshadowed by ambition and company culture. But, for the benefit of those around us, our own health, and indeed our productivity levels on our quest up the corporate ladder, being more attuned to how clean our work spaces are is vital.

News, Research

Millennials most willing to trust marketing, finds new DMA research

According to the Data & Marketing Association’s (DMA) latest research, ‘Millennials’ appear to be the most willing to trust marketing messages, having significantly higher levels of trust than older generations.

On average, 53% of ‘Millennials’ trust marketing mediums, compared with just 40% for ‘Gen X’ and 29% for ‘Baby-boomers’. Baby-boomers are less trusting across almost all the marketing channels surveyed for, except messages received by mail (53%) or in face-to-face interactions (50%) – the latter is something all generations appear to have a high level of trust with.

Email is the most trusted medium from the Millennials’ perspective, with over two-thirds (69%) trusting this source.

“While email still leads the way across all generations, in terms of preference and trust, beyond this central channel there is a myriad of ways brands could engage customers. The differences between generations highlight key trends that brands should be aware of when planning their marketing campaigns,” said Tim Bond, Head of Insight, DMA. “This analysis also highlights the potentially virtuous cycle of improving customers’ perception of trust, for example, on the preference and relevance for each channel.”

‘Gen Z’s’ high trust in messages received by phone (44%) and video (56%) appears to go some way to explaining why these channels are significantly more preferred by this generational cohort.

Marketing preferences and relevance –

Email is the most popular channel to receive marketing messages from brands – with 73% of consumers ranking it in their top two preferences.

However, there is a marked difference in this generation-ally. While email is the channel preferred most by Gen Z (45%), it is far less pronounced in comparison to other age groups. This figure may be influenced by a preference to receive brand content through other channels like social media (37%), video (25%), and even phone calls (19%). Gen Z is also more likely to report messages received via social media (56%) and video (59%) as relevant. If you are looking to market to millennials, consider hiring a PPC agency

At the other end of the generational spectrum, Baby-boomers prefer email (88%) and mail (52%) significantly more. This older group of consumers are also significantly less likely to find the marketing messages they receive through many of the channels asked about as relevant – with just email (63%) on a par with other generations.

Millennials are the generational cohort most likely to find marketing messages relevant across all the channels asked about within the survey.

Further information can be found on the DMA website: https://dma.org.uk/research/dma-insight-channel-challenges-between-generations

Healthcare, News, NHS News

New SME consortium to enhance NHS digital services

A new SME consortium, consisting of five companies, has been accepted onto the Crown Commercial Services’ Digital Capability for Health Framework.

The multi-million pound initiative, which runs over four years, aims to put in place a Collaborative Agreement for use by NHS Digital and other national, regional and local public sector health and social care bodies, for the provision of digital outcomes and supporting services.

The group of like minded SMEs which have secured a place on the framework, led by the prime contractor, Hippo Digital, include:

Hippo Digital – Digital service design and data management
Answer Digital – Digital transformation and engineering
Apira Ltd – Delivering Digital Journeys across healthcare
Made Tech – Public sector technology delivery
The Data Shed – Data solutions

With the framework covering DevOps Services, Digital Definition Services, Build and Transition Services, End-to-End Development Services and Data Management Services, the consortium’s range of specialist skills will provide the NHS and health and social care organisations with access to digital skills and products that will improve services for both staff and patients.

The group will also provide an avenue to help the Government reach its goal of channelling a third of external spending through small and medium sized enterprises by 2022, providing the public sector with easy, centralised access to services from five approved SMEs.

Adam Lewis, Managing Director, Hippo Digital
“We are proud to have been accepted onto the framework and having such an accomplished group of SMEs by our side brings added strength and depth to our combined capability. Together with our partners, we blend an exciting mix of specialist skills and healthcare experience to provide maximum value to our clients and their service users.

“Our relationship with the healthcare service stretches back to the very beginning of the Hippo Digital story and we are delighted to have the opportunity to build on that partnership in the future.”

Rich Pugmire, Director, Answer Digital
“We’re immensely proud and excited at the opportunity this framework award gives us to strengthen our relationship with NHS Digital. Combining our depth of healthcare experience with the fantastic partner organisations within the consortium, we are looking forward to delivering a range of exciting services and giving the amazing people at Answer a genuine opportunity to make a difference.”

Mark Jones, Managing Director, Apira Ltd
“We were very pleased to join the Hippo Digital consortium bid for this framework and are delighted to have received confirmation that the consortium has been successful in obtaining a place on the framework. We very much look forward to working with Hippo and consortium partners in supplementing the digital capability of national, regional, and local health and care organisations over the next four years.”

Hazel Jones, Head of Health, Made Tech
“The UK is home to a broad range of innovative SMEs which provide digital solutions and services that have the potential to revolutionise health and social care. This group brings together five of these organisations united by a shared passion to provide lasting value to the public sector, employees and service users.

“Made Tech is excited to be working with such a great set of partners to help the NHS and health and social care bodies thrive, both now and in the future.”

Anna Sutton, CEO, The Data Shed
“Collaboration is in our DNA at The Data Shed and we’re really excited to be working alongside our talented partners in this consortium. We all have specialist skills and strong healthcare experience and together we’ll make a big difference to the quality of care provision within the NHS and other care organisations.

We’ve seen in the last year how we’ve relied on the NHS even more than usual and we’re proud to be playing our part in using digital solutions to transform the future of health and social care.”

News, Start Ups, Technology

Mayor of London’s International Business Programme enters new partnership with Ciklum to support London-based scaleups

Today, London & Partners have announced a new partnership for the Mayor’s International Business Programme (MIBP) with Ciklum, a leading technology partner, to help London startups and scaleups expand internationally.

Ciklum is on a mission to be London’s leading startup technology and product partner, from seed stage to IPO. With an array of international technical talent and nearly two decades of experience in building custom digital solutions, Ciklum is the enabler that stands behind unicorns like JustEat, Flixbus and eToro.

Members of the Mayor’s International Business Programme already benefit from a wide range of support services, including a mentoring scheme, workshops and events, access to trade missions and introductions to top corporates all over the world.

With Ciklum on board, programme participants will now have access to a whole new range of technical expertise including custom product builds, data strategy and operations, and scaling technology solutions and teams.

Ciklum’s involvement in the programme highlights its commitment to driving product and technical innovation for London startups, helping them compete on the world stage.

Deputy Mayor for Business and Enterprise, Rajesh Agrawal, said:

“Building up-to-date digital infrastructure is essential for any business to remain competitive as our economy recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic. Ciklum is a world leader in digital solutions and I’m sure they will be an enormous asset to the Mayor’s International Business Programme.”

Kulraj Smagh, CEO at Ciklum, also commented:

“I’m delighted Ciklum is joining the Mayor’s International Business Programme. We have a rich history of working with hyper-scaling and entrepreneurial tech companies, and are excited to work with the respected partners. We look forward to sharing our experience of helping scale up successful unicorns in the market with the amazing companies participating in the programme.”

Ciklum joins Globalization Partners, Microsoft, Taylor Wessing and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as corporate partners of the MIBP. Through these partnerships, the MIBP has helped more than 900 London-based companies internationalise to date, creating more than 1700 jobs for the global economy.

Sara French, Director of Trade & Growth at London & Partners, added:

“I am delighted that Ciklum joins our amazing line-up of partners here at Mayor’s International Business Programme. Ciklum’s digital and technological expertise is an incredibly valuable resource for our programme members – not least in the current virtual climate. As we ramp up our efforts to help London-based businesses in these difficult times, I have every confidence that, with Ciklum’s specialist support, our companies will continue to confront the challenges of scaling head-on and be able to bring new products to market even faster.”

The MIBP welcomes a new cohort of companies every quarter. Its 18th cohort launches this week, where around 60 of London’s fastest-growing companies will be formally joining and tuning into online induction sessions across the week.

To find out more and apply for a place on the next cohort (launching Spring 2021), visit: https://business.london/go-to-grow.

About London & Partners

London & Partners is London’s international trade, investment and promotion agency. Our purpose is to support the Mayor’s priorities by promoting London as the best city in the world in which to invest, work, study and visit. We do this by devising creative ways to promote London and to amplify the Mayor’s messages, priorities and campaigns. London & Partners is a not-for-profit public private partnership, funded by the Mayor of London and our network of commercial partners.

About the Mayor’s International Business Programme

Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Mayor’s International Business Programme helps ambitious scaleups from London’s technology, life sciences, creative and urban sectors to expand their businesses internationally. The free 12-month programme provides world-class support and advice for international business success, including bespoke, on-the-ground support in key global markets.

The Mayor’s International Business Programme is supported by its corporate delivery partners: Ciklum, Globalization Partners, Microsoft, Taylor Wessing and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

About Ciklum

Ciklum is a leading global digital services and software engineering company, serving Fortune 500 and fast-growing organisations. Headquartered in the UK, Ciklum has 3,500+ software developers, designers, product managers and data scientists around the world building tailored, digital solutions that leverage emerging technologies.

Ciklum specialises in enabling digital transformation for some of the largest household names and platforms in the digital economy. The company partners with its clients to achieve their true potential in the digital age.